Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has urged Indian cricket to protect and guide 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, and believes that the youngster will need someone to ‘guide him for the next 2-3 years’ to ensure that he stays on the right path.
At 14, Suryavanshi is already an IPL superstar and is also now the vice-captain of Bihar in Ranji Trophy. He’s been dominating U19 cricket, and he seems to have the world at his feet.
However, Shastri believes that the toughest few years are immediately ahead of Suryavanshi, since there have been hundreds of stories of teen prodigies failing to fulfill their potential due to taking the wrong path.
“This now for him is the toughest period. Because he's made such an impression and such a young age, much like Sachin. Now, in the next 2-3 years, he needs someone to guide him because you can go off the rails very quickly,” Shastri said on the Willow Talk show on the LiSTNR Sport podcast, reported Hindustan Times.
“It can go into your head; expectations are high, you may not be able to handle it. This is where someone has to go and tell him, 'You are bound to fail at some stage'. This game is a leveller. So don't be upset. It's a part and parcel of life, but you stick to what you're doing, and once you start embracing failure, take it in your stride, that is when you'll do well. But this is an important period for him.”
Suryavanshi has drawn comparisons with Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, and there have been calls to fast-forward him to the international set-up because of how talented he is. While acknowledging the 14-year-old's talent, Shastri advised the youngster to play more four-day cricket, for he believes that the intricacies of long-format cricket will ultimately make the teenager a better batter.
Right now, Suryavanshi has played only 5 FC matches and averages just 10.00.
"There's no question but you have to see how good those guys were at that age. So, if this guy is that good, there's no reason why he can't be asked to play the 4-day game,” Shastri said.
“Let him work out his own way of striking the balance because what it will certainly do is it will help him keep the good ball out. He'll have to defend a lot more, tighten his technique, which will then help him. Then he'll figure out which bowler to see off, which one to target. It's about keeping the good ones out and respecting the conditions.”
In Bihar’s first Ranji game of the season, Suryavanshi opened the batting and departed for 14 off 5 balls.
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Vaibhav Suryavanshi Needs To Be Guided, Easy To Go Off Rails Quickly: Ravi Shastri – Cricket.com
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